On Friday, Washington announced that it had loosened restrictions on technology exports placed on Iran to expand access to internet services that the government had severely restricted, amid a crackdown on weeks of protests against the death of a young woman in the custody of the vice police.
The US Treasury felt that Tehran’s internet blocking was an attempt to “prevent the world from witnessing its brutal campaign against peaceful demonstrators.” Deputy Finance Minister Wali Adimo said in a statement that the new measure would allow tech companies to “expand the range of internet services available to Iranians.”
“While brave Iranians take to the streets to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, the United States is doubling down on its support for the free flow of information for the Iranian people,” he added.
Iran has witnessed a week of bloody protests following the death of Amini, who was arrested last week for “improperly wearing the hijab.”
A 22-year-old Kurdish woman spent three days in a coma after being detained by the vice police.
The US Treasury Department said it was taking steps to provide access to software, including antivirus and antivirus tools, as well as a video conferencing service to support “the Iranian people’s access to fact-based information.”
“Through these changes, we are helping the Iranian people to be better prepared to resist government attempts to control and restrict them,” she added.
Deputy Finance Minister Wali Adimo said in a statement that the measures would “expand the range of internet services available to Iranians” to help “the Iranian people be better prepared to counter the government’s monitoring and censorship efforts.”
The impact of the move may not be immediate, as US administration officials acknowledged in a conference call with reporters, but “over time, it will give the Iranian people more tools to fight these repressive efforts by the Iranian government.”
“The Iranian government has cut off internet access to most of its 80 million citizens to prevent them – and the world – from witnessing its brutal campaign against peaceful demonstrators,” U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a separate statement.
He added that Washington “will help ensure that the Iranian people do not remain isolated and ignorant.”
This week, members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging her to ease restrictions on Iran’s Internet services, “clarify rules for providing services to the Iranian people” and “expedite the issuance of all relevant licenses to businesses.” including Starlink.”
